McGill Food Science students rose to the challenge of creating a nutritious, locally sourced and sustainable food product for people in a country they had never visited, earning a top prize in a global competition.
Working as a team, Zixuan Han, Giovanni Sumampouw, Jiachen Wei and Jiani Yao researched Ethiopia’s local crops and food processing methods, sourced nutrient data and selected recyclable packaging materials.
The result is TesfaTena, a ready-to-eat block that means “hope” and “health” in Amharic, Ethiopia’s working language.
Designed to meet the needs of children and expectant mothers, TesfaTena took top prize at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Student Association Competition in the Developing Solutions for Developing Countries category.
“All ingredients, such as teff, sorghum, chickpea, sweet pea, Medjool dates, moringa leas and baobab, are locally sourced,” said Sumampouw. “[The block] can be easily turned into porridge or a traditional flatbread, making it culturally relevant and familiar to Ethiopian consumers.”
McGill has earned numerous awards from the IFT – including top prize in the Smart Snacks for Kids category last year – but this is the University’s first win in the Developing Countries category since 2016.
“This experience deepened our belief that food science extends beyond the lab,” said Han. “It empowers communities, reduces waste, and creates real change.”
‘An absolute eye-opener’
As finalists, the TesfaTena team members were invited to attend the IFT FIRST (Food Improved by Research Science and Technology) annual event and expo in Chicago earlier this summer.
“For students, it’s more than just a conference. It offers a great platform to bring your academic knowledge and creative ideas to life,” said Wei. “We were genuinely impressed by the creativity, technical skill and passion shown by all the competitors. Each product addressed important challenges in its own way, and it was inspiring to see so many different approaches.”
“IFT FIRST is an absolute eye-opener,” said Yao. “It’s a great opportunity for students to get hands-on experience on product development and learn new things.”
The team credits their classes, professors and the Macdonald Campus community for contributing to their success.
“Our projects are approached as if they were actual startups – including technical development, business planning and social impacts – and we received support and guidance from our professors,” said Wei. “We are truly grateful for the mentorship, facilities and encouragement provided by McGill. Our network gave us not only knowledge from the field but also the confidence to push boundaries.”
“McGill and Mac let us be creative and innovative with our ideas,” added Sumampouw.
All team members say they plan to continue their studies in food science: Han was one year left in her McGill undergraduate degree, Sumampouw and Wei are pursuing PhD studies at McGill and Yao will soon begin a master’s degree at the National University of Singapore.
All will carry forward the lessons they learned from their TesfaTena project.
“[Winning the competition] reinforced our belief that a student-led idea built on empathy and science can earn its place on a world stage,” said Wei. “I will keep designing with empathy and building solutions that balance performance, environmental responsibility and real-world application.”
Astronomical acclaim
A second McGill team attending IFT FIRST took third place in the Smart Snacks for Kids category.
Members Adelina Gram, Rae Li, Ying Jing Liu, Omid Marvi and Ririka Saito developed Astrobites: two organic, vegan and allergen-free sweet potato and oat cookies whose size ratio mimics the Earth and Moon. Kids are invited to guess which is which, with the cookies’ coloured filling confirming their guess.
Salwa Karboune, dean and professor in McGill’s Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, congratulated both teams on their success.
“Creativity and hands-on projects continue to be the driving force behind excellence in our Food Science and concurrent Food Science/Nutritional Science programs,” said Karboune.